Tennessee is hoping that Year 2 under Jeremy Pruitt goes better than Year 1.

The Vols finished 5-7, missed a bowl game and finished the season with a loss against Vanderbilt 38-13.

Since then, Tennessee’s players have transformed their bodies, and Pruitt has added talent to the roster. Still, it’s going to take a few years in talent influx and development to get the program back to competing for division championships.

The Vols schedule certainly sets up for getting to six wins and setting up a bowl game. Non-conference games against Georgia State, BYU, Chattanooga and UAB are all very favorable. ESPN’s Football Power Index predicts the Vols will finish right at 8-4 or 7-5.

The toughest game? The FPI says it’s a road game to Alabama on October 19. A road game at Florida on September 21 is the second toughest game of the year. Outside of a tough bout against Georgia, all the other games are seemingly winnable for Pruitt and the Vols.

Perhaps the key will be the two late road games against Kentucky and Missouri in November before hosting Vanderbilt.

Below is Tennessee’s full schedule and projected win probability, per the FPI:

  • August 31: Georgia State: 97 percent win probability
  • September 7: BYU: 81.4 percent
  • September 14: Chattanooga: 99 percent
  • September 21: at Florida: 31 percent
  • October 5: Georgia: 33.4 percent
  • October 12: Mississippi State: 55.4 percent
  • October 19: at Alabama: 11.6 percent
  • October 26: South Carolina: 63 percent
  • November 2: UAB: 94.6 percent
  • November 9: at Kentucky: 61.4 percent
  • November 23: at Missouri 50.4 percent
  • November 30: Vanderbilt: 82.5 percent